Even with most of the major holiday product announced (and much, though far from all, of it in stores!), a few new catalogue releases have slipped through the cracks with little fanfare. This Tuesday, Beatles completists (you know who you are!) can check their local indie retailer for a swell little compilation entitled 10 Green Apples; it's a sampler disc for the full EMI/Apple Records reissue campaign (all individual releases hit stores Tuesday, as does an import box set with those 15 discs
Stage and Screen: John Barry, Steve Lawrence Get Reissued
Kritzerland continues to mine the MGM/UA soundtrack library for its latest release, a two-for-one CD. The disc, a limited edition of 1,000, contains the score to Bryan Forbes' 1967 thriller The Whisperers composed by the legendary John Barry as well as Richard Rodney Bennett's score to Sidney Lumet's 1977 adaptation of Peter Shaffer's play Equus. (Barry's very different score to The Deep has already enjoyed a terrific reissue earlier this year, courtesy our friends at Intrada, and it's been
Review: Jimmy Webb, "Ten Easy Pieces Plus 4"
Often a reissue celebrates a classic album of years past. Through additional content, new remastering or expanded liner notes, the listener can put the original in perspective. It can be a reminder of just why we loved that album so much the first time around or take us to a special time in our own past. At other times, a reissue brings a forgotten album to light, revealing it as a lost treasure. Such is the case for Jimmy Webb's Ten Easy Pieces, now Plus 4 courtesy the fine folks at DRG
Reissue Theory: Tony Bennett, "Tony Sings the Great Hits of Today!"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. This installment spins what may be the least-loved Tony Bennett LP into a lost classic for the ages. Today's Reissue Theory takes a look at one of the most reviled albums of all time, the LP thought to be the nadir of a career still going strong after nearly 50 years. The artist is Tony Bennett, and the album is Tony Sings the Great Hits of Today! ,
Kritzerland Crosses "Bridge" and Unearths the Tortures of "Sadismo!"
Hopefully fans of classic 1960s film scores have been saving their pennies, as the limited editions just keep on comin'. Intrada just made available two classic western scores from Universal; Kritzerland has two briskly-selling new releases now available, both rescued from the MGM library. Making its debut in any medium is Les Baxter's score to 1967's shockfest, Sadismo. The American International release was one of a series of documentaries spawned by 1962's Mondo Cane, each film featuring
Review: David Bowie, "Station to Station" (2010)
There are box sets, and then there are box sets. EMI's hulking, monster of a box dedicated to David Bowie's 1976 Station to Station (EMI BOWSTSD2010) is one such box set. It's even more massive than The John Lennon Signature Box, itself a lavish and large affair containing 11 discs. The multi-disc box celebrating a single album isn't a new concept, although in the past such offerings were largely based upon session material. The format has proliferated in recent times as record labels have
UPDATE: Petula Clark's "Complete Singles" Cancelled
Way back on July 26, The Second Disc reported on the rumored news that Collectors' Choice Music was planning an expansive two-CD collection which would feature all of Petula Clark's Warner Bros. singles recorded between 1964 and 1970. These plans were confirmed on September 13. After prominent placement in the label's September and October catalogues displaying the finalized artwork and track listing, the Clark release disappeared from Collectors' Choice's website. Your humble correspondent is
Review: John Lennon, "Signature Box," "Double Fantasy: Stripped Down" and "Gimme Some Truth"
Lift the lid off the giant box set (and objet d'art) The John Lennon Signature Box (EMI/Capitol 50999 906509 2 5) and you'll see the word "YES" jumping out at you. YES is a good reaction to the thought of having (mostly) all of John Lennon's solo studio output available in one place, remastered largely by the same team responsible for last year's Beatles reissues, and accompanied by a hardcover book and art print. Is The John Lennon Signature Box, and its companion discs, an unqualified YES,
Review: "Curse of the Pink Panther: Original MGM Motion Picture Soundtrack"
Sometimes the most rewarding soundtrack releases are the least expected. 1983's Curse of the Pink Panther marked the end - well, for a decade, anyway - of Blake Edwards' long-running series of comedies which began with 1963's The Pink Panther. Edwards' seventh and eighth Panther films had been shot following the death of series star Peter Sellers, who proved to be irreplaceable as bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau. (A previous attempt to do Clouseau sans Sellers was 1968's Inspector Clouseau,
A Very Merry Catalogue Christmas: Crosby, Como & Cameo Trio Due
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Frosted windowpanes, candles gleaming inside. Sleigh bells jingling (ring-ting-tingling too)! All of these images are among the most evocative in popular song, and all are linked to the most wonderful time of the year: the holiday season. Catalogue enthusiasts traditionally have their holiday wishes granted each year with a spate of new/old releases, and this year is no exception. In November, Collectors' Choice Music offers a trio of remastered holiday
Short Takes: Legacy’s First Paul Simon Release, James Taylor Goes Gold, and Spector Set Due
With the fall officially underway, we’re now in the busiest time of the year for the music biz, and as this week hits its halfway point, we’re here to offer a few announcements you might have missed. Audio Fidelity offers on November 2 a 24K Gold CD version of James Taylor’s seminal 1972 album originally released on Warner Bros. Records, One Man Dog. Remastered by audio guru Steve Hoffman, One Man Dog has among its highlights the now-standard “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight.” One Man Dog joins
S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y! Rollermania Strikes Again in October
S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y! For many readers, that chant will undoubtedly conjure up images of a group of tartan-clad Scotsmen, whose catchy, hook-filled 45s led hordes of screaming teenagers and teenyboppers to the dance floor (alongside adults with discerning taste in irresistible pop music, of course!). The history of The Bay City Rollers is being celebrated by the fine folks of the U.K.’s Salvo Records with the October 4 release of a deluxe four-disc anthology they’ve quite accurately called
Come and Get It, In One Shot: The Apple Box Set Announced
After months during which EMI kept us all guessing, official specs were finally released for the Apple Records reissue campaign, and The Second Disc duly reported that information back on August 5. As with most projects related to The Beatles and/or Apple Corps, however, there were as many questions as answers, even after the “final” information had been posted on the official Apple website. For one thing, why downloads? Fans were sharply divided as to how they felt about the practice of
A Little Bit o' Soul: A Busy Fall from Big Break and Superbird
Funky Town Grooves announced quite a lineup of soul classics to hit shelves this fall, as reported yesterday by The Second Disc, and we're happy to follow up with news of the latest exciting releases coming from two Cherry Red labels across the pond, Big Break Records and Superbird. First up, Big Break (BBR) delves further into the Philadelphia International (PIR) catalogue, dormant here in the United States but also being mined concurrently by the U.K.'s Edsel label. September 20 sees the
Go West, Young Man: Two More Classic Westerns Arrive on CD
While much of the rest of the catalogue world is kicking into overdrive in time for the holiday season, at least one group of labels seems to keep busy year-round: that of the soundtrack reissue specialists. Our friends at Kritzerland yesterday announced their latest two-on-one CD release bringing two classic United Artists film soundtrack LPs back into print. These soundtracks were the work of true titans of the field: Dmitri Tiomkin, Bronislau Kaper and Andre Previn, from films starring the
Tartare and Cameo Parkway Heat Up: Morris Day, Ric Ocasek, Dee Dee Sharp, Dino, Desi & Billy On Tap
On September 9, The Second Disc sadly reported on the axe falling on more of the beleaguered Rhino Records staff, and the company's plans to delve further into the on-demand CD realm. One such initiative is the Tartare imprint being offered by WMG/Rhino in conjunction with Collectors' Choice Music. Another 20 Tartare titles are on the way from Collectors' Choice, and this group again spans decades, from the 1950s through the 1990s. Track listings are not available (indeed, not every title has
Sixties Girl Bonanza: Complete Petula Confirmed, Plus Connie, Joanie, Shelby and Julie
I know a place where we can go to finally hear the complete Warner Bros. singles of one of the most acclaimed singers of all-time, Petula Clark. On July 26, The Second Disc reported on Collectors' Choice's complete singles collection for Clark's swinging tenure on Warner. Well, that auspicious project has finally been confirmed, but Collectors' Choice has sweetened the pot: also coming are Complete Warner Bros. Singles sets for fellow 1960s female icons Connie Stevens and Joanie Sommers, and a
Back Tracks: Laura Nyro
Laura Nyro (1947-1997) never became as famous as her songs. In an all-too-short 49 years, Nyro provided major hits for a diverse array of artists from Three Dog Night and Blood, Sweat & Tears to Barbra Streisand and most famously, The Fifth Dimension. Yet her own albums never achieved mainstream success, with audiences largely preferring to hear her compositions performed by others. (In this respect, she could be compared to her contemporary Jimmy Webb.) Perhaps this was just as well for the
It's Monkee-Mania: "Head" Soundtrack Expanded as Deluxe Box Set
Just a few short weeks ago on August 19, The Second Disc reported on the Criterion Collection release of the Monkees’ trippy cinematic opus, Head. At the end of that article, we opined, “Perhaps the success of this set will inspire Rhino Handmade to revisit the Head soundtrack as a deluxe edition should its Monkees reissue program continue.” Well, we didn’t even have to wait that long. Rhino Handmade has announced a three-disc deluxe box set of the soundtrack to Head and much, much more.
Some Like It Hotter: Kritzerland Follows “Promises” with Remixed “Sugar”
Kritzerland’s Bruce Kimmel wasn’t one to rest on his laurels over the Labor Day weekend. The soundtrack and cast album specialist label announced on Monday its latest two-CD deluxe release, a reissue of the 1972 Original Broadway Cast Recording of Sugar. For those who missed out on Kimmel’s Promises, Promises, don’t pass up the chance to hear this terrifically fun album in a new light. Sugar, the musical version of Billy Wilder’s seminal film Some Like It Hot, was assembled by a Broadway dream
Labor Day Special Reissue Theory: Stephen Schwartz and James Taylor, “Working”
The Second Disc Archives are open! We're reprising this look at a musical which united the talents of Stephen Schwartz, James Taylor, Mary Rodgers, Micki Grant and Craig Carnelia, while our story also features "appearances" along the way by Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Warnes and Rupert Holmes! Welcome to our Reissue Theory special: Working! On Monday, September 6, 2010, America celebrated its 128th Labor Day, all but the first 12 of them recognized as a
Review: Frank Sinatra, "September of My Years"
Frank Sinatra was always one to face the world head-on. So it was with his turning 50. The man who had pioneered the “concept album” with a string of themed records for Capitol began thinking of an LP that would allow him to plant his feet squarely in the present, 1965, and reflect with every ounce of experience he’d acquired in the many lives he’d led over a mere 50 years. The album that would become September of My Years began its life inspired by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson’s “September
News Round-Up: Sinatra TV Specials Boxed, Handmade Does Comedy
Rhino Handmade has revealed the latest addition to its catalogue, and it's an unexpected one. The State began its MTV run in 1993, and ran for three seasons, showcasing its young ensemble in edgy sketch comedy. The troupe spent January 1996 recording an album for Warner Bros. Records, but it was ultimately shelved. That album, Comedy for Gracious Living, gets its first-ever release on September 20 from the busy Handmade folks. Cast members are recognizable from their work in Wet Hot American
Reel Music, Hip-o Select Raid the Motown Vaults
Just a few days' away from its start, September is already looking to be a great month for Motown enthusiasts. For starters, an August 22 tweet from Hip-o Select's Twitter feed revealed the latest project in Motown Select's (busy) pipeline: Tammi Terrell's Come On and See Me: The Complete Solo Collection. While largely remembered for her classic duets with Marvin Gaye, Terrell was no slouch as a solo artist, and this compilation should go a long way in reminding audiences of that fact. As Tammy
Springsteen Reveals Details for "Darkness" Mega-Box
Folks, Bruce Springsteen doesn't kid around when it comes to keeping promises. The specs are in for The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story, and this monster box set due on November 16 is going to be a doozy, to put it mildly. Boasting three packed CDs and three DVDs or Blu-Rays, The Promise is a treasure chest for longtime Springsteen fans: 21 unreleased audio tracks on two CDs, four hours of concert footage (including 12 performances dating between 1976 and 1978, a whopping 26